The importance of CPR
Emergency first aid training, particularly training in CPR, gives everyone the potential to help to save lives.
When a person suffers a cardiac arrest or stops breathing, the key to giving them the best chance of survival is starting CPR as quickly as possible.
If you or a loved one ever suffer a cardiac arrest, you would hope there is someone nearby who is able and willing to perform lifesaving CPR until the emergency services arrive.
If we all make it our responsibility to ensure that we receive the training required to administer CPR then we can help to look after our loved ones, potentially save the life of someone in need, and boost cardiac survival rates in the UK.
Why CPR is important
CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is a medical procedure that anyone can learn that can help to save a life in the event of a medical emergency.
If a person’s heart stops beating, or they stop breathing, it takes four to six minutes for brain death to occur, with brain tissue beginning to die within just three minutes.
According to Resuscitation Council UK, ‘for every minute that a person in cardiac arrest doesn’t receive CPR and defibrillation, their chance of survival drops by up to 10%.’
Performing CPR on a person whose heart has stopped beating during these vital few minutes can help to keep blood and oxygen flowing through the body to vital organs, including the brain. This can help to keep the person alive until emergency medical help arrives at the scene.
Medical emergencies can happen anywhere and to anyone, so CPR training is vital for employees in all sectors. Training employees in CPR can help organisations to meet their duty of care to their employees and customers. It is particularly important for health and social care employees who are likely to be faced with medical emergencies more frequently than employees working in other sectors.
Skills learned during CPR training can be equally as valuable outside of the workplace as in, equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge they need to improve a friend or family member’s chance of survival if their heart stops outside of a medical setting.
Survival rates of CPR administered outside of a hospital
Cardiac arrests are dangerous no matter where they occur, but surviving a cardiac arrest is much more likely if it happens whilst a person is in a hospital surrounded by trained medical staff and equipment.
Because of how quickly CPR must be administered for there to be a chance that it will save a person’s life (A matter of minutes), surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest relies on someone who is trained in CPR being nearby at the time.
According to the British Heart Foundation, there are over 30,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year and the survival rate is currently less than one in ten.
If CPR is not administered, out of hospital cardiac arrest survival rates are extremely low. Statistics from NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) show that ‘immediate initiation of CPR can double or quadruple survival from out hospital cardiac arrest.’
How many people are trained in CPR?
Knowing how to administer CPR is a potentially lifesaving skill to have, so the more people that are trained in CPR the better.
Receiving professional training in CPR can help to give people the confidence they need to step in and help someone who is having a cardiac arrest, even if they are a stranger.
Many people receive professional, emergency first aid training, including training in CPR, from their workplace, school, or higher education institute.
According to an article published on the Resuscitation Council UK’s website, 38% of people in the UK have never received any form of CPR training. This means that nearly two-thirds of people in the UK have received training in CPR at some point in their lives, but it is hard to say how many of these are still competent at administering it.
According to the British Heart Foundation, in some countries where CPR is taught in schools, ‘cardiac arrest survival rates are more than double those of the UK.’
In England, as of 2020, teaching CPR became part of the Health Education curriculum for secondary school pupils and is now recommended for all students aged 12+.
How to learn CPR
The best way to learn CPR is to book a place on a professional emergency first aid training course.
Emergency first aid training courses teach individuals how to provide lifesaving care during a variety of different medical emergencies. As well as learning how to administer CPR, some of the other invaluable skills you may learn include how to control bleeding, dress wounds, treat burns, assist a person who is choking, put someone in the recovery position, treat seizures, and what to put in an emergency first aid kit.
Emergency first aid training is available for anyone, the most suitable course for you will depend on whether you wish to train as an individual, in a community group, or for the workplace.
Learn CPR with CBAT
Here at Care Business Associates, we offer a professional and accredited emergency first aid at work training course that helps employees to learn vital skills that can help them to provide lifesaving care to those that require it both in and outside of work.
Our first aid course can be completed in just one day. The course is comprehensive and engaging, providing attendees with all the knowledge and skills they require to respond confidently to a variety of medical emergencies, including how to administer CPR. The course comprises a full day of practical demonstrations, role-playing scenarios, question and answer sessions, and practical activities.
To find out more about our emergency first aid at work course, give our team a call on 01772 816 922, or email admin@cba-training.co.uk.